PAGAN SPRING

Brewery Arts, Kendal (UK)

An exhibition of paintings, drawings, collages and dioramas by

MIKE HEALEY

20 April - 22 June, 2018

It is widely thought that western civilisation owes its origins to cultural developments in ancient Greece

While historians acknowledge that Greece was probably subject to some influence from northern Europe, ‘Western Civilisation’ as we know it clearly sprung from the indigenous peoples of the Greek city-states and islands, subsequently shaping the Italian Renaissance and its later ‘re-discovery’ of all things ancient.

'Classical' Greek representation of Zeus

However, this ‘Aryan’ model is now highly contested and would appear to be largely the product of late 18^th and early 19^th century scholars anxious to reject long-held notions, not least by the ancient Greeks themselves, that Greece derived much from both the Phoenicians and the equally ancient civilisation of Egypt. 

Greek statues were painted, often in lurid colours

This scholarly suppression (mostly German) of non-European influences is, some have argued, racist and, above all, anti-Semitic

The Afroasiatic origins of Greek culture were first explored in detail in Martin Bernal’s controversial book ‘Black Athena: the Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization’ (Volume 1, 1987) in which he locates the origins of many ‘Greek’ myths, for example, in North Africa. 

Vase painting of Dionysus

He argued that Greek culture was initially shaped by these foreign influences and developed further by Phoenicians actually colonising Greece during its long history

'Hades, king of the Underworld'

Mike Healey

In this exhibition I will draw on this notion, giving Hades, King of the Underworld a Tuareg complexion while Persephone has a distinctly Egyptian appearance 

'Persephone' - work in progress detail

Mike Healey

This is contrary to ‘iconic’ images we have of these mythical characters based on white marble statues from ancient Greece or Rome

My Venus, for example, is also very different and captures – or so I hope – an atavistic and distinctly pagan sexuality not found in ‘classical’ Greek or Roman sculptures

Venus

Mike Healey

The two myths that most interest me are those associated with Dionysus (whom the Romans called Bacchus) and Hades’ abduction of Persephone

Dionysus, called 'Bacchus, god of wine' by the Romans

My Dionysus is a far more dangerous figure, associated with death and sexual indulgence and whose female followers would dismember any man who witnessed their secret rites!

'Libation' by Mike Healey

More details about this forthcoming exhibition will be given nearer the day but meanwhile put 20th April, 2018 in your diary!

MIKE HEALEY